Fair starts Monday with parade

By John Miller, 09/6/22 11:02 AM

PRESCOTT – It’s fair time in Nevada County.

From Sept. 8-17, the Nevada County Fairgrounds will be hopping. Thursday and Friday will be set up times for the different arts, crafts and photography, along with the commercial booths being set up. On Saturday, Sept. 10, entries may be made for crops, fall garden and farm products, along with household articles, quilts, coverlets, clothing, photography, crafts, educational and commercial booths. These same items can be entered Sunday, Sept. 11 as well.

The fair parade will “officially” kick things off Monday, Sept. 12. Floats and entries will line up at the Hamilton-Blakely Senior Center/Municipal building at 5:30 p.m. with the parade starting at 6 o’clock. Jamie Hillery, parade director, said, the parade will run down Main Street, hang a left on Second Street East and end at Central Baptist Church. According to Hillery, there’s been lots of participation this year, as businesses, organizations and both schools have been invited to march. In addition, pageant winners past and present have been invited to be in the parade.

Also on Monday will be the entries for the flower show and check-in for cattle, swine, sheep and goats. All livestock weights must be turned in by 8 p.m. The Nevada County Extension Office will be doing blood tests for chickens from 3-6 p.m. Rabbits and chickens check in from 4-7 p.m.

The exhibit halls open Tuesday, Sept. 13, with the goat and sheep shown at 4 p.m., followed by the cattle and hogs at 6.

What should excite the younger crowd starts Wednesday, Sept. 14, as it will be the first night for Merrian’s Midway Show of Texas. According to Tara Carlton, a member of the fair board, there will be around 15 rides for people of all ages, along with a midway featuring games and concessions. Armbands will be available every night of the fair from Wednesday on. The midway will open when the carnival does and close when it closes.

Judging for chickens and rabbits will be done Wednesday. Thursday kicks off with the premium sale buyer’s meal in the Potlatch Building with the sale at the arena. This is shaping up to be one of the largest, if not the largest, premium sales in fair history as around 45 have been entered. Much of this can be traced back to the OYEA program through the Prescott School District which provides animals for students to raise and show at no cost to the student.

Friday will see the exhibit halls and midway as the Curley Wolves will be playing in their home opener against the Hope Bobcats that night.

Pageants begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning with the infant, baby, tiny and little miss pageants. The interviews for junior and fair queen will be held at 2:30, with the talent show, and fair queen pageant to start at 5 o’clock. This will include the petite miss, young miss, debutante miss and junior miss pageants as well.

The fair ends with the rodeo at 7 p.m. Tickets for the rodeo will be $5 for adults and $3 for children not participating. Registration will be done at 5:30 p.m. This year’s rodeo will again feature Claire Morris’s trick riding and horsing around liberty act. For more information about the rodeo, call 870-703-5738.